laser therapy Flashcards
what does LASER stand for?
-Light
-Amplification by
-Stimulated
-Emission of
-Radiation
how are lasers classified?
-class 1- low powered/ safe
-class 2 - low powered/ safe
class 3a- low power emitting. less than 5mW
-class 3b- 5mW-500mW
-class 4- greater than 500mW
what happens to atoms in laser therapy?
-an atom is stimulated to emit a photon of light by an incident photon
-this emitted photon collides with other excited photons, causing more photon emission
-chain reaction producing LASER
what are the 3 physical components of a laser system?
-lasing medium
-energy source
-resonating cavity
what is a lasing medium?
-material that is capable of being pumped with energy to produce stimulated emission
-lasing medium can be gaseous, liquid or solid
what is the energy source?
-the energy source is usually electrical from a power supply or battery
-it needs to pump/ excite the lasing medium to higher energy levels to produce the laser radiation
what is the resonating cavity?
-this contains the lasing medium within a central chamber with 2 mirrors at each end
-allows reflection of the photons of light back and forward across the chamber
-results in production of an intense photon resonance
what is monochromacity?
-property or quality of having a single color or wavelength of light.
- a light source is said to be monochromatic if it emits light of only one wavelength, resulting in a pure color
what is coherence in lasers therapy?
- when all peaks and troughs of the laser therapy waves are in phase and unidirectional etc
what is collimation?
when a laser beam maintains a small spot size over a long distance
-highly parallel beam
what are the physiological effects of LASER?
-improves mitochondria function and increase ATP
-stimulates collagen production
-modulates inflammation - decreases TNF (tumour necrosis factor)
-activation and proliferation of fibroblasts
-inhibits bacterial growth
-promotes vasodilation and angiogenesis
what is the arndt schultz law?
a law that states that biological systems ie humans respond differently based on the intensity of the stimulus they receive
-ie weaker stimuli are more beneficial and stronger stimuli my have an inhibitory effect
what are the clinical applications of laser therapy (ie what situations can it be used for)?
-wound healing
-STI healing
-inflammatory joint conditions
-trigger points
-delayed onset muscle soreness
how does laser therapy treat wounds?
-2 methods - contact method and non contact method
1. contact (not open wound) - applying firm pressure, put laser device on treated area to minimise the loss of energy from the beam of laser
2. non contact (open wounds) - put laser close to surface or put cling film over wound
what kind of soft tissue injuries can laser therapy be used for?
-injured ligaments
-injured tendons or tendon pain
-haematoma etc
what wavelength of laser therapy can penetrate 1-4mm of human tissue?
600-1300nm
what is power and what are the units?
the rate at which energy is absorbed
-units are watts / milliwatts
what are the parameters of laser therapy?
-wavelength
-power (watts)
-energy (joules)
-frequency (pulse repetition rate)
what is energy measured in?
Joules - specified per point receiving laser radiation
what is frequency (pulse repetition rate) units?
-hertz / pulses per second
what are the principles of application of laser therapy?
-intro / explanation of procedure
-instructions and warnings
-examination of skin
-explain the need to wear goggles - both patient and operator
-sensation testing not required
-key/code activates the machine
-set parameters
-place probe on the area to be treated before you activate laser beam
-apply treatment as directed
-switch off device before removing goggles
-record treatment - JPP time, number of points, location of points)
what does JPP stand for?
Joules per point - ie the amount of energy delivered to one point on the body during laser therapy
what are the contraindications of laser therapy?
-direct irradiation of the eyes
-pregnant uterus
-carcinoma
-over active bleeding area
-over vagus nerve, cardiac region etc
-over gonads (pubic area)
what are the precautions of laser therapy?
-infection
-over anterior neck (due to carotid sinus)
-low back during pregnancy
-recent steroid injection (ie last week)
-anticoagulants
-anti-inflammatory meds
-eplilepsy (esp uncontrolled)
-epiphyseal plates in children
what are the hazards of laser therapy?
-electrical safety
-eye hazards
according to research, what is the effect of laser therapy on muscle pre and post exercise?
-laser delivered before or after fatigue reduced the post fatigue concentrations of lactate and CK (creatine kinase) in the blood
what is the main physiological effect of laser therapy?
improves mitochondrial function
